Vodafone Fijian 7s head coach Ben Ryan enjoyed watching Tabadamu, Daveta, Redrock and Yamacia rugby teams take part at the UON Central Coast 7s last weekend in Australia.
He said the Vodafone Fijian 7s extended squad can expect more players from the four teams as they prepared for the first leg of the 2015-16 World Sevens Series in Dubai in December.
“There were four good performances by each of the Fijian teams given the tough oppositions that they have had to face,” Ryan said.
“I’ve spoken to the coaches like Etuate Waqa of Tabadamu who have suggested a few players of their own to include in the training squad, so you can expect up to 29 players in camp.
“All the players picked have come from all four of the teams, though Tabadamu was the most impressive beating the New Zealand 7s Development side, who had players such as DJ Forbes, Sherwin Stowers and Tim Mickelson which wasn’t exactly a weak side.
“But we can’t just single out Tabadamu, all teams put on impressive performances and have showed players, most of whom have already played and trained with the 7s team, that they have the potential to wear that jersey.
“It was good to see the international teams that were there like Hong Kong and teams from USA including Australia and New Zealand.
“New Zealand displayed a lot of young talent who looked useful and pretty good out on the field while Australia, who are desperate to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil, put on a stellar performance.
“So going over was really a worthwhile trip for me.”
Telecom Fijiana
The Telecom Fijiana side who won the Women’s Plate Final in the Kinesio Central Coast 7s has improved a lot.
“Not only was it good to watch the men but it was good to see the progress of the Telecom Fijiana team,” Ryan said.
“They have really improved in all areas of the game and have set off a good preparation platform for the Rio Olympic qualifiers in Auckland, New Zealand on November 14-15.
“They have become a lot fitter and have really worked hard on getting the basics right.”